Preface

A student's education at Montana State University-Bozeman is the result of a complex process of teaching and learning marked by tremendous diversity of methodology, content, and structure. This education takes place not only in classrooms but also in the laboratories of scientists, the studios of artists and musicians, in health care agencies across Montana, in faculty offices and seminar rooms, and throughout the state. While much of this education takes place within credit-bearing courses ranging from formal lecture to small discussion group to one-on-one individual studies, much of it also takes place in more informal-but certainly not less important-activities relating to undergraduate and graduate research. At Montana State University-Bozeman, students learn in an environment where research, creative work, and teaching are inseparable facets of the learning experience for both students and faculty. 

Each of our colleges is engaged in all aspects of our mission although the emphasis on teaching, research, and service varies from college to college. Likewise, within each college the contributions of each department to our overall mission vary. Within the departments, the contributions of individual faculty also vary at any given time depending on each individual's strengths, interests, and the needs of the department as defined by its role and scope statement. Faculty assignments recognize the central role of undergraduate education, but also recognize that a number of our colleges and departments have graduate education as an indispensable part of the University's mission. 

The assignment of faculty responsibilities is a shared function of the departments, colleges or units, and the central university administration. It is the responsibility of the dean of each college, in consultation with the provost and the college's department heads, to determine the appropriate division of workload expectations for each department, or equivalent unit in the college according to the department's level of activity in the degree programs it offers and the role and scope documents of the departments and college. In determining the relative emphasis that a given department would place upon undergraduate programs, graduate programs, research and creative work, and service/outreach, consideration should also be given to the scholarly and creative productivity of the faculty, including externally-funded research, the size of the graduate program(s), and the expectations for service and outreach. An important factor in determining appropriate workload assignments is the workload assignments of faculty in comparable disciplines in peer institutions.^§  

^§State and national studies have established that on average total faculty workloads range between 52-58 hours per week (Montana Legislative Auditor's report, 1990; Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Chapter 3, Table 227, Postsecondary Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, Department of Education, Washington, DC)

In accordance with Montana State University-Bozeman's mission as a land-grant university, faculty are expected to be engaged in teaching, research and creative work, and service or outreach, as defined below. In conjunction with these activities, faculty are also expected to maintain a continuous program of professional development that includes attendance and participation at professional meetings and staying current with the literature in their discipline. Assignments and expectations for our College of Nursing and Extension Service faculty are developed in the context of their unique role in providing education, applied research, and service throughout Montana, and acknowledge our historic partnership with the federal and local governments. Appropriate adjustments in assignments and expectations are also made for faculty with split appointments with the Extension Service or Experiment Stations. Faculty assignments should be consistent with the criteria and standards for promotion and tenure contained in the Role and Scope documents for the relevant department, college, or unit. 

"Teaching" fosters critical thinking, develops creativity, and promotes citizenship and professional competency. It includes all of the following activities: class preparation; scheduled and unscheduled instruction in classes, seminars and workshops, both on and off campus, informal meetings, help sessions, individual instruction and office hours; laboratory and studio or clinical-based teaching and training; course and curriculum development; thesis and professional project assistance and participation in the presentation and defense of theses and projects; grading and assessment of student work; academic and career advising of undergraduate and graduate students; supervision of student teachers, teaching assistants and professional interns; and, for library faculty, any tasks that contribute to the overall academic enterprise.

"Research" is a form of scholarship which involves discovery, application and/or integration of new knowledge and the dissemination of that knowledge. This work includes conducting specific research projects; supervising research staff and postdoctoral associates; securing and administering grants and contracts; writing/editing books, articles, and other research-based materials representing one's original or collaborative research; developing new clinical practice models, presentations at scholarly conferences.

"Creative Activity" is a form of scholarship which generates new aesthetic experiences through composition, design, production, direction, performance, exhibition, synthesis, or discovery and involves the presentation of that experience. This work includes creating new works of art, film, theater, music, and architecture; public performance and exhibiting creative works.

"Service" assists individuals or organizations in solving problems through consultation and information transfer. Service activities fall into three categories: professional service such as holding office in a professional society, serving as an editor or on an editorial board, and reviewing manuscripts for professional journals; public service which means providing service within one's professional discipline to the general public rather than students, the institution or the profession; and University service which facilitates the effective operation of the institution. 

"Outreach" means teaching, scholarship and service activities directed toward the benefit of citizens which address their specific health, economic, educational, environmental, social and cultural needs. Outreach may include program development and delivery through MSU-Bozeman's Extension Service; providing professional expertise and advice; public presentations; assistance to communities and individuals.